How the Route 91 Harvest Festival Got to Vegas

After Sunday night’s (Oct. 1) tragic mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, the three-day country concert quickly became the subject of live news coverage all day on Monday.

As the world began to mourn the victims of the tragedy, the country community came together. Because anyone who follows the music knows that the artists, songwriters, fans and friends that make up the country family know that festivals like Route 91 are what often bring us closer together.

And Route 91 — in its fourth year in Las Vegas — certainly wasn’t the only one of its kind. Live Nation has continued to roll out fest after fest, adding to the country music landscape across the U.S. for the past six years.

In 2012, the Watershed Festival kicked off these special kinds of festivals at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington.

In 2013, Live Nation launched the Faster Horses Festival at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

In 2014, Route 91 was launched, with Jason Aldean headlining that first year.

In 2015, Country Lake Shake was the first fest of its kind in the city of Chicago, taking place on Northerly Island overlooking Lake Michigan.

In 2015, there was the FarmBorough festival in New York’s Randall’s Island Park.

Below are scenes from the Route 91 Harvest music festival from Friday through Sunday (Sept. 29-Oct. 1) before tragedy struck.

CMT’s philanthropic initiative CMT One Country is supporting the Red Cross in the wake of this tragedy. Our hearts are with everyone affected by the mass shooting in Las Vegas. If you are trying to locate loved one, please call the Red Cross hotline: 1-866-535-5654. If you are in Nevada and would like to donate blood, please go to www.bloodhero.com to find out where to give.